The Lucky Ones
by laurenwrites
Summary: Didn't they always say we were the lucky ones? / SEQUEL (somewhat) to In Case - so read that first! Bade.
1. Part One

**Please Read:**

**This story _can_ stand on its own, but my intention is for it to be somewhat of a sequel to my last fic, In Case. Relationships and personalities will make much more sense, so check that one out first if you'd like.**

**Additionally, I'd like to offer my condolences to Cory Monteith and his loved ones. His life ended much too soon, and my thoughts and prayers are with him. Xo**

* * *

_Didn't they always say we were the lucky ones?_

_._

It's a nice October day in Los Angeles. The busy city is known for its fantastic weather, but Jade Oliver has never been one to appreciate it. For all the twenty-five-year-old cares, it could rain every single day; most likely, she'd even contend that the uglier weather would put her in the mood to write. In fact, the works Jade has claimed to be most proud of were all written or idealized during some of the city's worst storms.

She's about to leave the set of her new indie movie—the sequel to her winner of last year's Cannes Film Festival—when she remembers to look at the to-do list she'd made on her PearPhone. The list is comprised of mostly basic things: pick up the dry cleaning, call Daphne (her beloved mother-in-law) back, and the last not-so-basic thing—buy pregnancy test.

Jade's heart skips a beat as her eyes scan over the third bullet; she's been putting this off for much longer than she'd intended, and she thinks she'll go crazy if she doesn't finally just find out. She hasn't even told her husband yet, because she's sure he'd pester her incessantly until she knew for sure.

As soon as she's picked up the dry cleaning, which—thanks to her long dresses and Beck's tuxedos—is heavier than she'd like it to be, she heads over to the smallest, less popular grocery store. She's careful about being seen, donning her floppy black hat and sunglasses, and quickly purchases four different brands of pregnancy tests before starting her drive back home.

By the time she pulls into her parking spot in front of the beautiful townhouse she shares with Beck, she's finishing up a phone conversation with Daphne Oliver. The wise and loving older woman had been calling to confirm that they were moving their monthly dinner from this Friday to next, on account of Walt's upcoming business trip. Beck's father doesn't travel often for work, but when he does, it's absolutely necessary.

When the brunette pushes open the front door, she step inside and drops the plastic grocery bag on the entryway table. After putting the dry-cleaned, expensive clothes back in the hallway closet where they belong, Jade takes the pregnancy tests into the bedroom and sets them on the bed. She'll explain them to Beck later—but for now, her stomach is grumbling for some food. As she makes her way into the kitchen to begin making dinner, she tries to focus on the food and not the possibly-life-changing situation she may or may not be in. She'd bought ingredients to try a delicious-looking vegetable flatbread pizza earlier in the week, so she figures it's a good day to whip them out. Beck, she knows, will be excited to hear the word "pizza" in the meal's title—so of course she'll have to refrain from telling him that it's gluten free bread.

In their eleven years of dating, Jade has slowly but surely opened her husband's eyes to the wonderful world of healthy food. Beck, a junk food lover by nature, was always afraid of the words "fat-free" or "low calorie"; lucky for his liver, Jade quickly learned how to accommodate those nutritious foods into his diet—usually without him even noticing.

Despite her hesitance to get married and face the challenges and responsibilities of being a wife—especially after watching her own parents' ugly marriage crumble right in front of her—Jade has loved every second since saying "I Do." She's always been by Beck's side to love him and take care of him, but now she's officially Mrs. Jade Oliver—and she wears a stunning ring on her finger to prove it. As much as she'd be proving herself wrong by admitting it, she feels a difference (even if she can't explain it) between calling him her boyfriend versus her _husband_. They're grown up; they're mature; they're committed. And she loves it.

She's just slid the flatbread into the oven when she hears the front door open and close. Within ten seconds, her husband appears in the kitchen. "Hi, Gorgeous," Beck says, a grin on his face as he pulls her into his arms. He drops a sweet kiss to her lips and then her forehead. "How was work?"

"It was good," she answers, content to stand in his embrace for the time being. "I think I might like the sequel better than the first."

Beck raises an eyebrow. "Better than your Golden Palm?" He asks, referring to the enormously prestigious award she'd won at last year's festival.

"Who says I can't get two?" She retorts, teasingly offended.

He laughs and kisses her again. "Definitely not me." When he pauses to sniff the kitchen air, a smile appears on his face. "Are you making pizza for me, Mrs. Oliver?"

"I think you could smell it from a mile away," she says, stepping out of his arms to pull a bottle of wine from the fridge. "We are having pizza, and it's a new recipe I'm trying—so hopefully it's good."

"It always is," he reminds her. Jade pours a glass of the clear white liquid and hands it to him, prompting the inquisitive look he gets.

"No wine for you?"

"I'll get some in a minute," she lies, hoping he'll forget about it until she gives him the better excuse. "How was the set today?"

"Productive, really," he says as he helps her set the table. "We finished filming the last episode in the arc we've been in today, and soon we'll start work on the mid-season finale."

"Does Logan still want to do the breakup?" Beck laughs at the casual tone his wife attempts. In reality, she can't stand the girl who plays Beck's on-screen girlfriend—and would throw a celebratory party if their characters were to split. When the producer had mentioned it to Beck and Kimberly (the lead actress opposite of him), Beck had been ecstatic to tell Jade.

"He does," the actor answers. "I know you'll be heartbroken to hear that Josh and Makenna are breaking up for good."

Jade sets the fork she's holding down onto the table immediately and looks up at him. "For good?"

Beck grins. "I'll never have to kiss Kimberly again."

Jade laughs and meets him on his side of the table. "That makes me really, really happy," she says, wrapping her arms around his waist. "And I think you might just get really, really lucky tonight because of it."

"Is that so?" Beck, still smiling, leans down to kiss her. He's about to speak again when the oven goes off, prompting her to take off back to the kitchen. She pulls the pizza out and her husband's eyes get wide as he pours her a glass of wine and sets it on the table.

As it turns out, Beck is a huge fan of the meal—nothing out of the ordinary. Jade decides to wait until after dinner to tell him about her situation, so the talk is comprised of things like work and family. It isn't until after the dishes are washed and they're entering their bedroom to change into pajamas that Beck notices the abnormal items on the bed.

"What's this?" He asks, holding up one of the boxes as he looks at his wife. Jade continues changing into her nightgown without a word, but Beck is quick to interrupt her. "Are you," he starts, pausing when she doesn't say anything. "Do you think…you might be pregnant?"

Finally, she turns to face him. "Maybe," she sighs, and he can see the anxiety painted on her face. "I'm late by two weeks. I haven't had any horrible sickness, but I threw up yesterday morning after you left."

"Hence, the absence of wine," is the first thing he observes. Beck doesn't bother to ask why she didn't tell him earlier; he knows well Jade's nervousness about the possibility of starting a family. So, instead of asking the question he knows will upset her, he keeps the focus on simply her as he holds gently into her forearms. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," she answers honestly. "A little freaked—and definitely surprised. We haven't skipped protection in the last few months, have we?"

"Not that I can remember. You haven't missed a pill?"

"Not since that one time in college," Jade says, her mind flashing back to the terrifying experience the then-twenty-year-olds had when they thought they were pregnant for about a week.

"Okay," Beck says calmly. "Do you feel up for taking the tests tonight? I think it'd do us some good to know for sure."

She sighs. "I bought them today—I'm taking them today." Beck nods his head and waits for her to tell him to open the boxes. When she does, he brings them to her in the bathroom and she takes all four of them and—after washing her hands—sets them all on the bathroom counter.

"Now we wait," Beck says, holding his shaky wife from behind. He drops a kiss to her shoulder. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't know," she says, her voice empty. "I just want to find out."

Beck is quiet, respecting her wishes and simply standing supportively. When five minutes has passed, she steps out of his arms and slowly makes her way back to the counter. She reads all of them, taking her time to make sure she's seeing all of the signs correctly.

"They're all positive."

Beck smiles softly. "Are you okay with that?"

Jade is visibly scared; Beck doesn't have to know her better than anyone to see that. She's quiet for a minute, and by the time she speaks, he's holding her again. "I'm okay. I'm just… I just don't know."

Beck knows her fears of becoming her own mother and—despite his insistence on reassuring her that she'd be a wonderful one if she's ever given the chance—he's fighting fourteen years of abandonment. Fourteen years of growing up without a mother—one who couldn't handle the pressure of raising a child and cracked instead of sticking around.

Beck holds her tightly as she turns in his arms to face him, and he waits for her to speak.

"We can't be them." Her voice is small but forceful, and she speaks in a tone so solemn that it even takes Beck by surprise. He cups her cheeks in his hands and plants a soft kiss on her lips.

"We're not going to be," he promises. "This is our chance to have a family of our own, Jade—a family full of love and support that we can build _together_. I'm going to do everything I can to make it work." Beck smiles at her and his eyes are glistening. "This isn't something that you'll have to do alone; this is _our baby_. And I promise you: I've never been happier."

Beck waits patiently for her reaction; he knows she needs more time to process everything. Jade, meanwhile, is thinking back to a casual conversation she'd had with Tori several months prior about the possibility of having a child. Whereas Jade had been stone cold set on the fact that she would _not_ be able to parent properly, her doe-eyed best friend had firmly reminded her that parenting is not a one-person job.

"_Imagine Beck as a dad,"_ Tori had mused, and Jade couldn't help but do it. _"You'd have him as your partner to raise a baby with—you two would be perfect as parents!"_

As Jade looks into her husband's eyes, she can hear Tori's words replaying in her dad. She and Beck are a _team_—and that's the thought that brings a smile to her face as she sighs in relief.

"Okay." Jade nods her head and looks up at her husband. "Okay, we can do this."

Beck laughs and swoops her into his arms to kiss her. Once he's carried her, bridal-style, back to their bed, he crawls onto it and pulls her body into his. "We're going to be parents," he says, his voice full of excitement as he looks down at her blue eyes. "We can turn the room across the hall into a nursery."

"I want the baby to sleep in our room first, though," she adds. "At least for a little while." Jade can't imagine bringing a child into the world only to not give it the best care possible—and if that means losing some sleep so that the baby feels safer or cries less, the mother-to-be wouldn't have it any other way.

Beck grins. "You're going to be the most incredible mom. I just know it." He drops a kiss to her brown curls and uses his bedside remote to turn off the lights. Jade's eyes are already closed as she rests her head in the crook of his neck. "Goodnight, Babe. I love you."

"I love you," she murmurs against his skin before drifting off to sleep.

The days fly by and before they know it it's the Friday of the following week. Jade is working on the set of her new film—for which she directs, writes, and stars. As she sits in her office, proofing the script that they'll use for the afternoon scenes, she munches on cut-up apples that she dips in peanut butter. As much as she tries to control it, she can't help how hungry she constantly feels. The books she's already started reading about the first trimester of pregnancy, though, do a solid job of reassuring her about the abnormality.

The highly respected (and somewhat feared) woman calls an early lunch on set, much to everyone's surprise and delight. Beck arrives shortly after, bringing his wife her favorite meal from the best sandwich shop in Los Angeles.

"Oh, thank god," she says, taking the bag from him before greeting him with a kiss. "I'm starving."

"I can't say I'm surprised," Beck teases as he joins her in sitting at the table in her office. "How's your day been? Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm good, the baby's good; we're all good here," Jade answers. "Don't forget that we have dinner at your parents' house at eight. What time will you finish on set today?"

"I can be done by five," he promises. "We're telling them tonight, right?"

"Yes—but they're the only ones besides Tori and Andre who know. The last thing I want is the tabloids printing this before we get the chance to officially announce it."

"And when again are we doing that—the official announcement?"

"I don't know. I guess in a month or so, when I won't be able to hide the bump anymore." Jade, who had been informed by the doctor that she's just over two months pregnant, barely shows any physical signs of it. Beck treats her like an infantile anyways—carrying her whenever he can, constantly checking on her in person and over text, and fulfilling each and every one of her desires.

"Sounds good to me," Beck agrees. "Honestly, I'm just surprised that you haven't told my mom yet. You know, being that you two can't keep anything from each other."

Jade looks down and continues eating her sandwich. "Mhmm," she murmurs, avoiding his eyes.

Beck's jaw drops open. "You told her." She still won't make eye contact with him. "You already told my mom, didn't you?"

"I didn't say that," Jade says casually. "But yes, for your information, I did tell her. I thought she'd want to know."

"Well yeah," he laughs, "I'd think she would, too. I just thought we'd tell them together. But I guess that's okay." Beck is grinning so—even though she wouldn't really care if he minded her telling Daphne—she knows he's happy regardless.

"She promised to act surprised," Jade says. "And, just so you know, she guessed. She said it was the _glow_ or something." When Jade gets up to throw the empty to-go box away, she walks over to Beck and sits in his lap. "Don't take it personally," she says, linking her arms around his neck. She presses her forehead to his, driving him crazy as she smiles against his mouth. "At least I told you first."

.

.

As Daphne Oliver stands in her bountiful kitchen, flitting between the appliances to stay on top of the dinner she's cooking, she turns towards Jade with an eager smile on her face. "So, how have you been?"

"I've had a little nausea, and all I want to eat is apples with peanut butter—but I feel good. Beck makes sure of it; anytime I look anything less than perfectly satisfied, he starts asking what he can do."

Daphne laughs and her heart swells with pride. She'd always known that she and Walt had raised Beck well, but watching him take on his roles as a husband and father-to-be has just been further proof for the older woman. "Speaking of my son," she says, pulling the baked spaghetti out of the oven, "is he aware that I know?"

Jade smiles and—despite her mother-in-law's insistence that she not help—begins mixing the salad. "He knows. He wasn't upset; I think he figured I wasn't going to let two weeks pass before telling you."

"And thank God for that," Daphne says with a chuckle as she finishes setting the table. She moves back over to Jade and holds the younger girl's face gently in her hands. "In case I haven't said it enough yet—you look absolutely wonderful. Beck is so lucky to have you."

"I'm just as lucky to have him," Jade adds genuinely. Daphne grins and grabs a bottle of wine from her stock before pouring Jade a glass of water. Once she's called the men to the table, dinner is served.

The night goes beautifully, and Walt is ecstatic to hear the news of the pregnancy. With the exception of some talk of Jade and Beck's work, the dinner conversation rotates solely around the unborn baby that already has four adults wrapped around its finger. Beck mentions their plans to turn one of the two guest bedrooms into a nursery; Jade talks about her goal to finish her current movie in time for the baby's birth—so that she won't feel obligated to balance both a film and a newborn if she doesn't want to.

When the young couple is finally back in their home, Beck pulls his wife into the room across the hall from their own. "Well," he says, looking around the furnished guest room, "whaddya think?"

Jade thinks things over for a minute before speaking. "I'll paint an ocean scene," she finally says, drifting over to the wall. "The water will go across all four walls. The sunset on top, with sailboats floating on the surface, and then all of the sea animals under the water." As she speaks, she maps it out with her hands to try to share her vision with Beck. "The crib will go here; the changing table here; the bookshelf here. And I want a rocking chair here in the corner."

When she's gone through nearly every item that she wants placed in their child's room, she looks at her husband to find him staring at her in amazement. "Did you just come up with all of this?"

"I've thought it over for a few days. I'll start tomorrow, though; it's going to take me a while and I don't want the paint fumes to be anywhere near fresh when the baby comes."

Beck laughs and shakes his head. "How are you already so much better than me at this parenting stuff? Babies can't be around paint?"

"The fumes from paint can irritate their skin and lungs," Jade tells him, reiterating the words she'd learned in one of her books. "It's not only uncomfortable for the baby, but it can also cause asthma in serious cases. In short, the nursery will be finished well before the birth."

"Well that sounds good to me," Beck says, opening his arms for her to step into them. He kisses her hair and rests his chin protectively on the top of her head. "I love you so much. Thank you for being so good to me."

Jade sighs into his chest and smiles. "I love you too, Beck."

.

.

Several weeks later, it's just past five o'clock in the morning when Jade rolls over in her sleep and feels a harsh pain in her side. She ignores it at first and hopes that she'll fall back to sleep shortly—but she finds no such luck. The strong discomfort continues long enough for her to finally get out of bed and enter her bathroom. She turns on the lights and makes her way to the toilet, where she sits and simultaneously tries to adjust her eyes to the brightness.

It takes her several seconds to notice the blood on her underwear, but she recognizes right away that those are stains that should not belong to a pregnant woman. As her breaths begin to get shorter and closer together, she forces herself to try to relax. Within twenty minutes and without waking her husband, Jade is dressed in real clothes and has brushed her teeth and grabbed her purse.

It's a short drive to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, but to the mother-to-be it feels like an eternity. She arrives in the Obstetrician-Gynecology wing at an empty hour; she supposes most women wouldn't by choice schedule any kind of appointment this early in the morning. Although the doctor with whom Jade had done her initial exam is not currently on call, the actress settles willingly for another woman ready to see her.

"Hello," the doctor says cheerily upon entering the exam room. Jade thinks that the woman, who looks to be about twice her own age, must have had at least a few cups of coffee already to be so awake at nearly six in the morning. "I'm Dr. Hillsdale. You can call me Heidi," she says with a smile as she offers her hand to the brunette.

"Jade Oliver," she replies, shaking the woman's hand politely—though the doctor is already aware of just who her patient is.

"Alright, Mrs. Oliver. Let's get started and get you out of here." As Dr. Hillsdale scans over Jade's paperwork, she selects a few things to read aloud for confirmation. "So you're fourteen weeks pregnant—fresh out of the first trimester. Congratulations," she says, looking up at Jade with a smile. Jade tries to returns the action, but her nerves get the best of her and she doesn't get the chance. "You've had some morning sickness," the woman continues anyways, "but nothing too terrible. And you woke this morning to a serious pain in your stomach and some spotting."

"I haven't had any bleeding since I first found out I was pregnant," Jade says. "So when I saw it this morning, it made me nervous."

"That _is_ odd," Heidi admits. "Not to worry, though. We're going to run some tests to see if we can figure out the problem. After that, we'll do a quick ultrasound to be sure everything looks good, and you'll be on your way."

Jade nods and pulls out her phone as the doctor takes some of her blood to sample it. She composes a quick text to Beck—apologizing for leaving without waking him but informing him that they'd needed her on set for something urgent.

When Dr. Hillsdale returns to the exam room with the test results, Jade is unable to read her expression. "Let's do an ultrasound," is all she says, and Jade complies by pulling up her shirt. Once Heidi has rubbed the gel generously across Jade's tiny bump, she presses the wand against her pale skin and turns on the monitor.

As she moves the wand around, Jade notices immediately that something is off. "Why can't we hear the heartbeat?"

Dr. Hillsdale is silent for a few more seconds as she waits for the ultrasound to confirm what she already knows. "This doesn't happen often past the twelfth week mark, but… I'm afraid that it appears that you have had a miscarriage. I'm terribly sorry, Jade."

The brunette is frozen still, keeping her eyes dry and her jaw locked. She feels a chilling wave of hostility wash over her, and it becomes excruciatingly clear how her once-nurturing womb is now completely empty. Her child—_Beck's child_—gone as quickly as it had come.

"Take as long as you need to gather your belongings," Heidi reassures her. "I'll leave some vitamins at the front for you to take over the next few weeks. They'll help get everything back to normal." She pauses, unsure if her patient is taking in any of her words. "Is there someone available you can call to come pick you up? Oftentimes women who experience miscarriages find that—"

"I'm fine," Jade insists, quickly cleaning herself of the cool gel and rising from the examination recliner. When she leans over to grab her purse, she feels her face pale and she thinks she may vomit right there in the room.

As it turns out, she holds it in until she's outside, where she empties her stomach in some bushes near the back exit of the hospital. She feels dizzy, and everything in her line of vision is spinning until she can get to her car and sit down. She sits in silence, refraining from so much as turning the engine on for an entire hour. By the time she's begun her drive to who-knows-where, Beck has texted her back and asked what time she wants to meet for lunch. She tells him she'll be taking a working lunch with the crew, hoping that her answer will appease him.

After thirty minutes, Jade arrives at an old shopping mall. She parks in the empty parking lot and turns off her car before the first tear falls. And once the first one comes, they don't stop for another two hours. She sits alone, sobbing into her hands as she rests her head on the steering wheel. All of the questions that she could have asked the doctor—but neglected to—start to race through her mind and cloud her sight again.

What had she done wrong? Did her body intentionally reject the fetus? Would this mean she's unable to have children ever in the future?

She doesn't come home until later that night—to a very worried Beck.

"Where have you been?" He asks, rising from the couch the second she walks through the door. "You haven't answered your phone. I was about to come looking for you."

Jade drops her purse on the table and accepts his hug. "It's been a long day," she tells him softly. She hopes that the tearstains on her face are no longer visible, because he'd be the first one to notice them. "I just want to sleep."

Despite Beck's gut instinct to push for more information, he walks with her back to their bedroom and lays down with her. She's still in her regular clothes, but she doesn't seem to mind as she curls up on the mattress and closes her eyes. Nothing about it sits well with Beck, but he respects his wife's wishes and figures that she might be more willing to talk in the morning. So he lies with her, running his fingers through her hair until she falls asleep.

It isn't until two in the morning that that instinct of his wakes him up. He cracks open his brown eyes to see that Jade is absent from the bed. He quickly rolls out of the sheets and walks around the house until he finds her. She's in the kitchen, slumped on the floor against the refrigerator, with her head between her perched knees.

She's sobbing so intensely that she doesn't even notice his presence until he sinks down next to her. "Jade," he says gently, wrapping his arms around her smaller frame. "Jade, what's going on?"

She doesn't speak, but her crying gets considerably softer over the next twenty minutes as he sits by her side and holds her. It's completely silent for another ten minutes, other than the sound of her sniffles. And then,

"I lost the baby."

He's stunned to silence, and he's simply trying to breathe when she speaks again. "It's all my fault."

Beck is still processing her words, but he shakes his head immediately. "No. No, it's not your fault."

Jade starts to cry again, and at this point her body is heaving with sobs. "I didn't want to be a mom for so long—and so I won't be one." She keeps her head in her hands, and Beck feels helpless. "Someone else will be a mother," she cries softly. "Someone who would really be a great mom, and who has always wanted a baby."

Beck's heart is breaking as he pulls his wife into his lap and presses a long kiss to her forehead. He doesn't say anything for a long time, because it's about right then that it hits him that he no longer is expecting a child. "Jade," he says after a while, "this is not your fault. There's nothing you could have done." He sighs and holds her closer. "Please, Babe. Please don't blame yourself."

Jade doesn't reply; instead she cries into his chest for another twenty minutes before he finally picks her up and carries her back to the bedroom. Having not slept all night, she quickly falls asleep to the comforting sound of Beck's heartbeat.

When they wake the next morning, Jade's face is still red and her eyes swollen from the night's events. Beck has already left the bed and come back with a cup of water and her vitamin from Dr. Hillsdale—both of which she refuses.

"Jade," he says, dangling his fingers through her hair, "I'm so sorry that this happened. I'm so sorry."

"I don't want to talk about it," she says dryly, and he knows from her tone that it's wise not to push her.

"Do you want coffee?"

"No," she answers quickly. "Just go to work. I'm fine." She's curled on her side to face away from him, evading his eyes completely.

"I already called Logan and told him I won't be making it to set today," Beck says, rubbing her arm with the palm of his hand. "I'm staying here with you."

"I don't want you to," she replies sharply. "Go to work."

"Jade, you can't just shut me out. I know this is stressful and horrible, but we'll get through it together. I want to be here for you. This was my baby, too."

"You're not the one who had the job of protecting it until birth—and then failed." Her voice is harsh, but Beck can hear the deep pain in it. "Go away, Beck."

"Jade, please—"

"You wanted to have kids," she cuts in, rolling towards him to glare daggers. "Not me. And the second I get pregnant and I think—hey, maybe this would actually be a great thing—the universe reminds me that Jade West is not supposed to be a mother. It's not supposed to work out for me. It never has."

Beck's throat is dry and scratchy. The reassuring words he'd planned on feeding her suddenly seen so irrelevant next to his wife's concrete belief that she's not fit to have a child. Although he knows it's not true—he'd seen her motherly instincts come out in just the first three months of the pregnancy—he has no idea how to change that mentality.

"I'm so sorry, Jade," is all he can muster.

"Don't be. Just go to work. There's nothing you can do here." She rolls over to look at him, because she knows he deserves it, and her voice softens. "Just go."

As much as Beck hates that she wants to be alone, he'll do anything to give her what she wants. He places a gentle kiss on her forehead and brushes a piece of hair behind her ear, and then he exits the bedroom. Despite his compliance with leaving the room, he refuses to leave her alone in the house completely. He makes his way into the living room and reads over the script for the upcoming episode, remaining quiet so he can listen for his wife.

Jade, meanwhile, stuffs her face into the pillow and lets more tears of frustration fall. She lies in bed alone all day, only speaking when she replies to Beck peeking his head in the door to check on her. She's annoyed that he'd never gone to work like she told him to, but there's a bigger, more shielded part of her that would have been more hurt had he actually left.

By the third day of the same situation—Jade lying in bed and refusing to go anywhere or talk to anyone—Beck is getting very worried. At a loss of what to do, he calls the one person whom he knows will be able to help.

Daphne Oliver arrives at the townhouse at ten o'clock that morning, and Beck greets her at the door with a hug. "I'm so sorry, Honey," she says, cupping her son's cheeks in her hands. He nods his head, and she can see the exhaustion in his face. "Why don't you go to the set? You'll get more done there, and it'll help to at least try to take your mind off of everything."

Beck wants to argue against leaving his wife, but he knows that he's tried everything he can and that his resources are running dry. Confident that Daphne will stay with Jade until he returns, the actor grabs a cup of coffee from the kitchen and heads to his job.

There have been few times in Jade's life where she didn't want to see her mother-in-law, but this marks one of them. She's embarrassed—horrified by the fact that she'd been unable to carry the baby to term—and the last thing she wants to do is face the woman who'd been so excited about getting her first grandchild. Lucky for Jade, Daphne cares far too much about the younger girl to hold anything against her.

Jade, who hasn't met Daphne's eyes since first seeing who had entered the room, doesn't object to the woman running her fingers through Jade's long hair. She sits with the younger girl for ten minutes before saying anything. "When Beck was three," she begins, staring blankly ahead as she sets a gentle hand on Jade's shoulder, "I found out I was pregnant again."

Jade turns her head then, giving Daphne her full attention as she looks up at her husband's mother. "I remember Walt and I pulling Beck's crib out of the attic and planning to set it back up. We'd put it in Beck's room if it was a boy, and we'd change Walt's study into a little pink nursery if it was a girl." Daphne takes a deep breath, and Jade notices that from the way the woman describes it, she can see all of this like it had happened yesterday.

"I remember what it felt like to hear that I had miscarried. To this day, I still consider that one of the worst moments of my life. And it took me a long time to realize it, but I know that there is absolutely nothing that I could have done to prevent that from happening." Daphne looks down at Jade. "The same is true for you, darling. I know it's disheartening—there are few things that are more painful than this. But you've got to hang in there. Having Beck was the best thing that ever happened to me; I think you'll feel the same once you have a child of your own."

"But I won't," Jade protests firmly. "I'm not meant to be a mother, and my body rejecting this baby is only proof of that. No matter how badly I could want a child, it's not going to happen for me." Despite Jade's seeming confidence in her words, Daphne looks deeply into her blue eyes and sees the panic she knows Jade feels of having them actually be true.

"Do you remember that time you and Beck broke up in college?" The question is rhetorical; both women know that Jade has that summer that they'd spent apart is permanently engrained as some of the worst months of her life. "And do you remember how worried you were about him? Because you wanted to do his laundry and cook for him and take care of him?"

Jade holds her eye contact with Daphne to show that yes, she's still on the same page—and the older woman smiles. "I think that that's exactly what would make you the _best_ mother. Like it or not, you have the instinct. Unlike your own mother, _you_ have a desire and a need to protect. And I think that—if, and only if, you want to have a child—you would do wonderfully."

Jade doesn't reply, but Daphne knows that her beloved daughter-in-law takes the advice seriously. For the next couple of hours, the women lay on the bed in silence as a replay of the original _Nightmare on Elm Street_ airs on TV. Jade, who has deprived herself of true sleep since losing the baby, allows herself to doze off for what she assumes will be a quick nap. When she wakes at nine in the evening, Daphne has returned home and Beck has replaced her by his wife's side.

"Hi," he says softly, dropping a kiss to her forehead. "Are you hungry? I brought home sushi." Jade doesn't feel like eating, but she knows both that she should and that Beck will try to coax her to anyways—so she complies. "I'm glad you got some sleep." He places the food between them with two glasses of water and hopes that she'll at least put something in her stomach.

"It felt nice," Jade admits, picking at her favorite roll with her chopsticks. Beck knows that she's not planning on talking anymore, so he takes the lead in the conversation instead.

"I want you to know that there's nobody else in the entire world that I would rather be with. You know that, right? Baby or not, pregnant or not, successful or not—no matter what, I only want you." Jade evades his eyes until he places a hand on her cheek to turn her head towards him. "I love you. I always will. And if we decide that we want a baby, we can always try again."

Jade believes him—it'd taken her several years to truly believe those words, but deep down she's sure she understands how much Beck loves her. Despite his best attempt to make her feel better about the situation, Jade can't help but feel distressed about the idea of "trying again." She'd wanted _this_ baby. She'd appreciated how naturally it happened—like things had just fallen into place for them and it was supposed to be like that.

She nods her head instead of sharing that with him, though, and takes a sip of her water to gulp down her vitamin. She slides back down on the bed and curls into a blanket, and Beck feels like he's lost her to her emotions all over again.

The next day, Beck wakes to find Jade gone from the bed. His first thought is to be excited—Jade hasn't left their room in over three days, so even this is progress. When he slides out of the bed, he runs a hand through his messy hair and begins the house hunt for his wife. He doesn't know why the last place he looks is the last place, but he suddenly feels his heart sink as he approaches the door across the hall from their room.

Slowly, Beck pushes open the door to see Jade standing in the center of the empty room. She'd already started painting the mural across the four walls—and had been making outstanding and beautiful progress. "Jade," he sighs, but she doesn't budge from where she's staring at the art. He walks over to her to hold her from behind, and he feels her begin to shake in his arms.

As he stands, he tries to think of something—anything—to say that might help mend her broken heart. Nothing comes to him, though, so he remains silent as he presses a soft kiss to her hair. They stand there together, quietly, for fifteen minutes before Jade breaks and turns to face him. Before he can say anything, she's sobbing into his chest.

"We're going to get through this, right?" Her voice is timid and desperate and vulnerable, and he swears he'll do anything if he never has to see her this miserable ever again.

"I promise," Beck replies, holding her tightly. "We're going to get through this. I'm right here. I love you."

.

.

"Emma Walden from E! News here. I'm currently outside the Hotel de Paris in Monaco, where the highly exclusive after-party for the Cannes Film Festival is being held. Tonight was a big night for many—but if you ask me, the spotlight was officially stolen by the multi-talented Jade Oliver, who has risen to fame over the last several years thanks to her dark indie film _Well Wishes_. Two years ago, the wife of _Socio _star Beck Oliver won the Golden Palm for Best Film. Tonight, just weeks after her highly anticipated sequel premiered, Mrs. Oliver took home an unbelievable _three _awards—Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actress. It seems that, even after suffering a heartbreaking miscarriage almost a year ago, the power couple is doing better than ever."

As the eager blonde reporter finishes her spiel, another correspondent is politely ushering the couple in question over to the cameras. "Arriving now on the red carpet," Emma continues, "Beck and Jade Oliver! You two look absolutely wonderful tonight."

"Thank you," the actress replies, knowing that her husband wills the compliment towards her. Beck has his arm wrapped around her waist as his hand rests tightly on her hip.

"Jade, tonight was a huge night for you. Congratulations on everything! How does it feel?"

"It's incredible. I love to make these films—and I do it for myself. But it's an amazing thing to see how well others respond to it."

Emma nods her head in agreement and then directs the attention to the suit-clad male to Jade's left. "Beck, you've said in the past that you and Jade have been together since high school. What's it like to have all of these things you'd wanted come true?"

"There's nothing greater," he answers, smiling over at his wife. "My work is fun—I love what I do—but the best part of my day is getting to come home to her." Jade blushes and the reporter swoons before making some comment about Beck winning the hearts of every girl in the world.

The brief conversation continues with talk of the upcoming Socio season finale, as well as Jade's plans for what's next in her career. Before long, the couple has disappeared into the party.

It's three in the morning when they finally arrive back to their home. Despite all of the excitement surrounding the busy night, they both know that the most anticipated moment of the evening has yet to come. Once they're changed out of their dress clothes and into pajamas, they head into the master bathroom.

Five used tests later, Jade is laying each of the plastic sticks out on the counter.

"And now," Beck says, grinning as he wraps his arms around his wife, "we wait."


	2. Part Two

**This is bad, but I wanted you to know the ending to the story. So yeah. Also this has no plot.**

* * *

"That's a wrap on Scene Three. Gray and Lindsay, head to Hair and Make-Up to start prepping for Four. Everyone else, let's start the Run-Through."

"Hey, Jade." Christopher, one of her most productive crew members, approaches the woman in charge with a smile. "Just to double check—you want this one in interior day shot, correct?"

"That's right," Jade answers, reaching for a bag of grapes from her purse.

"Great!" Chris then bends over just slightly to offer his hand to the baby strapped onto Jade's chest. "Hi, Lilah," he says in a different, softer tone.

The one-year-old babbles happily for a few seconds and bounces in her seat. Jade laughs and Chris gets back to work, leaving the director alone with the little girl. She pulls the grapes, which have been cut into little pieces, out of the plastic bag and begins hand-feeding them to the baby.

As the cast and crew members begin preparation for the film's next scene, Jade's attention is turned completely to Lilah. Though most people say she's a mix of both of her parents, Jade thinks she looks slightly more like her father. She has his beautiful, olive skin and his giddy, adorable smile. She does, however, have her mother's light brown and curly hair.

Perhaps Jade's very favorite aspect of Lilah's profile, though, is her eyes. Her parents had anxiously waited to see whether she'd inherit her mother's bright blue eyes or her father's brown ones—and the end result was nothing short of perfection. Lilah's eyes are big—like Jade's—and a dark, grayish blue. The second she'd opened them as a newborn, they immediately recognized the exact mix of their genes in her eyes.

"Maaaaama," Lilah chatters, stuffing another grape slice into her mouth. Just as Jade is about to pull her daughter out to hold her, she notices that some of the cast members are standing around (rather than reading through their scripts).

"Hey!" Jade shouts, covering Lilah's ears so the baby can't hear her mother's yells. "You don't get paid to just stand there and stare at each other! If anyone screws up on lines in this scene, you bet your asses you'll have hell to pay."

Everyone immediately gets back to their job—and tries to ignore how quickly their director's attitude changes once she's taken her hands off of Lilah's ears. "Hi, baby girl," she says, setting Lilah on her hip. "I bet you're getting hungry, huh?"

The one-year-old grins up at Jade and giggles when her mother smiles back. She hand feeds a few more grapes into Lilah's mouth, fully aware of how much her daughter loves them. "Only a little longer until lunch," Jade promises. "And then we get to see _Daddy_!"

The baby shrieks immediately and kicks her legs excitedly. "Dada!"

"Mhmm," Jade laughs, popping a grape into her own mouth. "But for now," she says, gently tapping Lilah's tiny nose, "you get to keep watching your mama yell at people." The smile on Jade's face keeps the baby giggling, even as her mother straps her back into the carrier on her chest.

The last hour of work before their mid-day break passes quickly, and Jade is happy to let Lilah free on the ground once everyone has started to clear from the set. The one-year-old, who has just recently started walking, eagerly begins stumbling around as Jade gathers up her purse and scripts. "Lilah," she says, motioning her hand for the baby to move towards her, "come on; we're going to Mama's office."

Lilah looks up at her mother and walks forward until she's just in front of Jade, who follows her daughter into the private room. Jade's office—which used to be largely spacious and strictly business—is now consumed by everything _Lilah_.

Her bulletin board used to be full of all things work—filming schedules, script changes, camera settings, etc. Now, family pictures cover nearly every space. Behind her desk is a pack-n-play, where Lilah takes her daytime naps. The mini-fridge is stocked with baby snacks, and the portable bouncer that Lilah loves to sit in is right next to Jade's chair. The once-clean floor is now littered with toys of all kinds; Jade and Beck aren't too shy about how much they spoil their daughter. (Doting grandparents and friends don't help the cause too much, either.)

Just five minutes after the girls arrive in Jade's office, Beck quietly enters through the door. Lilah, who's facing away as she plays with a few of her toys, doesn't notice his presence. Beck sets the to-go bag on the table and quickly steps towards his daughter, whom he then picks up and attacks with a tickling hand.

"Dada!" Lilah screams happily as she waves her arms around. Jade and Beck laugh; watching their baby react to seeing either one of her parents never gets old.

"Hi, Princess!" Beck says, pressing his lips to Lilah's cheek. He then leans over and kisses his wife. "How's your day?"

"Eh," Jade shrugs. "People are lazy. We finished a scene, though—and that was my goal for the morning. You?"

"It's great! We worked more on the stunts today; Logan thinks I'll have them down by Friday."

Jade frowns and cups her husband's cheeks in her hands. "Please be careful," she sighs. "You know I don't like you doing your own stunts."

Beck holds onto her hand with his free one. "I'll be okay, I promise. Don't worry," he says, but he knows she will anyways. It's her ability to worry about her husband and daughter—while still maintaining her sanity and a stable life—that makes her such a good wife and mother. "You hungry?" He asks, turning towards the food he'd left on the table.

"Starving. I've been munching on Lilah's grapes for an hour," Jade says, picking up the coffee he'd brought her. Beck, meanwhile, sets Lilah in her high chair and gets her food (cut-up pieces of turkey, small vegetables, and rice) out of the fridge. The baby is talking—nonsense, of course—incessantly, much to her parents' amusement. They talk back to her without hesitation, asking her questions and telling her things even though she won't understand most of it.

Despite any fears either of them may have had about having a child, both Beck and Jade have proven to be spectacular parents. They're completely smitten with their daughter—they'll do anything it takes to keep her happy and safe—and the baby is rarely without at least one of them. Lilah is practically treated like royalty on both of her parents' sets; every one of their coworkers is obsessed with her.

"You reminded Logan that you'll be out next week, right?" Jade asks as she watches Beck scatter the food onto the baby's tray.

"I did. Lilah's going to love Hawaii; I can't wait to take her. My mom said the weather's supposed to be great, too."

"It is," Jade says, taking another bite of her sandwich. "You know, if someone would have told me when I first started dating you that one day I'd be taking a trip with you, your parents, and our daughter—I think I would have cried laughing."

Beck grins. "I think I would have cried tears of joy."

"Oh, of course you would have. I had you _whipped_." The proud smile on Jade's face is enough to make him nod his head in agreement.

"That you did. As much as it felt like I was trading in all of my man cards for it back in high school, I couldn't help it."

Jade sets her drink down and leans over Lilah so that her face is closer to his. "But I was worth it."

"So worth it," Beck agrees, pressing his smiling lips to hers.

.

.

It's seven o'clock in the morning when Andre's Escalade pulls up in front of the Oliver home. Since Andre had volunteered to give them (as wells Beck's parents) a ride to the airport, Beck makes sure that they're ready with all of their bags by the time he arrives. As the guys start loading the suitcases, stroller, and pack-n-play into the trunk, Jade gets situated in the car. Since they won't need Lilah's car seat in Hawaii, Jade holds the baby tightly in her lap and gives her a sippy cup filled with water.

They pick up Walt and Daphne and, before they know it, they're at LAX. As soon as they're through security, Jade heads straight for the closest Starbucks to get herself a second cup of coffee. She buys an organic muffin for Lilah and, after getting seated in their first class plane seats, she begins breaking off small pieces to feed to her daughter.

Lilah is thrilled with the yummy, soft taste as Jade helps her eat the little pieces—and both of her parents laugh at how she tries to stuff her mouth full. The one-year-old sits happily between Beck and Jade, who are sitting in the row across from Walt and Daphne. Even though Lilah will probably sit in someone's lap for the entirety of the flight, they'd gotten her her own seat to wiggle around in.

For the first couple of hours, Lilah crawls back and forth between her parents. When she starts to get fussy, Beck pulls her into his lap and feeds her some fruit and Cheerios. She's rubbing her eyes—which he knows means she's tired—and, soon enough, she reaches over for her mother.

Lilah adores both of her parents (that's plenty clear) but it's obvious what she desires from each of them. Whereas Beck is her playmate—he tosses her up in the air, tickles her, and carries her on his shoulders—Jade is the one from whom she seeks more comfort. When she's in her mother's arms, Lilah loves to cuddle. She'll nuzzle her head into Jade's neck and hold onto her mom, who usually sings to her and kisses her hair.

Once Jade has laid Lilah on her chest, she rubs the baby's back in consistent circles and hums to her softly until she falls asleep. Beck scoots over to the seat next to his wife and puts his arm around her, allowing her to nestle into his chest. With Lilah still sleeping soundly in her lap, Jade closes her own eyes and lets herself drift off for a bit.

Just a few hours later, they land in Hawaii.

.

.

The beach home that Daphne and Walt own in Maui is positively beautiful. The white shutters compliment the pale blue paint on the house, and the interior design is just as tasteful. There are two bedrooms; the elder couple takes their master bedroom while Jade and Beck get settled with Lilah in the other.

Jade had come to the island with the Olivers several times in high school and college, as Beck's parents were always generous about bringing her on vacations to see places she wouldn't get to see otherwise. When their son proposed to his girlfriend at the beginning of their senior year of college, they'd even offered to host a small destination wedding in Maui.

After Beck and Jade graduated, they flew to Hawaii with his parents, her father, and their closest friends. They were married in an intimate ceremony on the beach, and then stayed in Walt and Daphne's home to honeymoon for two weeks after. This is the first time they've returned since Lilah's birth, and the house is just as beautiful as ever.

The house is a five minute walk from the beach and a ten minute walk from the town square. It's in a private neighborhood surrounded by lots of tall trees, colorful homes, and friendly people. Their first day in the town is relaxing, as they're already somewhat tired due to traveling. Despite the fact that they're on (a much needed) vacation—and thus should be able to get some more rest in—Beck and Jade know that their daughter's sleep schedule is highly unlikely to change. That idea sinks in pretty harshly on their first morning in Hawaii.

"Babe. Babe. Babe, that's her."

Jade lets out a long and tired groan as she flops her head underneath her pillow. "We're not getting her out," she mutters, just barely enunciating the words enough for her husband to hear. Whereas Lilah has her own bedroom at home (and has slept in it since she was four months old), she's currently sleeping in a pack-and-play in her parents' room for the duration of the trip.

"Ba-ba-ba-na-na-ma-ma-ma-ma-na..." As the one-year-old continues babbling in her crib, Jade buries her face further into the mattress and prays that it will stop and that her daughter will miraculously go back to sleep. Beck, on the other hand, lies wide awake on his back as he listens to the adorable sounds of the baby's chatter.

"Can we just—" He whispers, but is silenced almost immediately by Jade's hand grabbing onto his wrist. It's too late, though; the baby girl has already picked up on the fact that her father is awake.

"Da-da?" She says aloud, making Beck's heart swell with pride. She stands up in her crib, bouncing gleefully to get her dad's attention.

"I'm going to kill you," Jade threatens grouchily, pulling the pillow off of her head. "We're on vacation and it's six thirty in the morning."

Beck grins and sits up in their bed before kissing her forehead. "You go back to sleep. I've got her."

"You're damn right you've got her. What the hell happened to not getting her out until at least seven?"

Beck is already swinging his legs off the bed and standing up. "My fault," he admits. "I can't resist her."

"Ugh," Jade grunts. "You're pathetic."

"Love you too, Babe," he replies, already turning his smile back on for his very eager daughter. She shrieks with excitement upon seeing Beck, who happily pulls her out of the crib and into his arms. "Hi, Lilah." He kisses all over her face, effectively sending her into a fit of giggles. When he brings her back to the bed, she immediately dives for her mother.

"Mama!" She exclaims, confused by her mother's stillness as the twenty-six year old moves slowly. "Mama!" Lilah says again, this time with more force.

Jade pulls her head off of her pillow and looks at her daughter through her exhausted, drooping eyes. "Good morning, my love," she says, smiling weakly at Lilah. "Mama's tired. Can you come cuddle?" As she speaks—in the tone she reserves for her child only—the baby crawls over into Jade's arms. "Lay here with Mama," she says, snuggling Lilah into her chest as she drops a kiss to the baby's little curls.

Beck grins and slides back down under the covers, hardly surprised by the turn of events. Jade, meanwhile, looks up at him and whispers, "Ha."

As it turns out, the comfort of her mother's arms sends Lilah back into a sleepy daze. When she begins to stir about an hour later, Beck and Jade wake up almost instantly. After a nice breakfast with his parents, they agree to get ready for a beach day.

Jade isn't surprised when Beck, the protective father that he is, is what his wife would call crazy about putting sunscreen on their daughter. Though Lilah has _his_ (much less sensitive) skin, Beck makes sure that each and every inch of her is covered in sunblock.

She fusses and squirms, not at all happy with the unfamiliar cream on her body. When she starts to cry, Beck kisses Lilah's forehead and quickly finishes applying it. "Oh, no," Jade says in a mocking voice as she re-enters the room. "Did Daddy go a little crazy on the sunscreen and make you mad?" She smiles and winks at Beck as Lilah turns her entire body to reach for Jade. "You want Mama now, don't you?"

After pulling the one-year-old into her arms, Jade holds her closely and calms her down. "I just don't want her to get burned," Beck says, almost dejectedly.

"I know," she replies, placing a gentle hand on his cheek. "You're a good dad." She kisses her husband and, once they've packed the beach bag, head into the kitchen to meet Daphne and Walt.

"There's my angel girl!" The matriarch exclaims, offering her hands to take the baby. Lilah, who has perked up after being comforted by Jade, goes willingly into the woman's arms.

Daphne, from the second she knew of Lilah's existence, has loved her grandchild fully. Besides Beck, she was the only person allowed in the delivery room when Jade was giving birth. She held her daughter-in-law's hand and gave her words of encouragement that, along with Beck's support, got Jade through the painful natural labor. She babysits whenever she can, as Jade trusts Daphne implicitly to take perfect care of her daughter. Lilah, in return, of course, absolutely loves her grandmother—and takes the older woman's name as her middle one.

As Beck and Walt load up the golf cart with the cooler, beach bags, and other various items, Jade helps finish up cleaning the kitchen and makes conversation with Daphne. Within five minutes, everyone is seated in the golf cart and Beck is driving them to the beach.

Upon arriving, they walk straight to their private beach cabana—a large, white tent with four lounging chairs and two small tables in between them. It's pulled apart at the side facing the water, for entry and exit purposes, and can be closed if necessary.

While Walt and Daphne decide to move their chairs out onto the sand under an umbrella, Beck and Jade head for the water with Lilah. It'd taken years, but Jade's fear of the ocean had finally dispelled enough to where she agreed that—so long as the water is clear enough to see—she'd get in it. Maui's water happens to be beautifully and famously crystal clear.

"Look, Lilah," Beck says, pointing with his free hand towards the water. She's standing between her parents and taking slow, careful steps forward while holding onto both of their hands. Despite Beck and Jade's encouraging, though, Lilah seems to be more interested in the matter she's walking on rather than the ocean.

Lilah plops down on her rear and makes a baby sound of curiosity. She grabs some in her hands and, unsure of what exactly it is, holds it up for her parents to see. Though it isn't he first time at the beach, she's too young to remember going the few times she had.

Naturally, the next thing she does is aim her hand towards her mouth. "N-n-n-o," Jade warns, pouncing on her daughter to ensure she doesn't eat the sand. "Come on, Baby," she says, whisking Lilah into her arms. "Let's go see the water!"

Beck smiles and takes Jade's hand as they emerge into the ocean. They're standing about waist deep in the sea, and Lilah loves the water. As Jade dips the baby's lower body in, Lilah kicks and squeals with excitement.

"I love you," Beck says, looking over at his wife.

"I love you too, sap," Jade teases. He laughs and swoops Lilah up to toss her into the air. Despite the fact that Jade's heart skips a beat (or five) every time Beck does that, she knows with confidence that he'll catch their daughter every time. Besides, there are very few things Jade loves more than the hearty sound of Lilah's high-pitched, genuine giggle.

"This is where your Mama and Daddy got married," Beck tells Lilah, tickling her tiny stomach. "Right on this beach."

Jade grins. "With how often we were in this water alone, I'm surprised she wasn't born nine months after that trip."

"But that's okay," Beck says to his daughter in a very baby-directed voice as he lifts her up to meet his face. "Because we had you after a _really_ fun time in a creepy old cabin while Mommy filmed her horror movie." He says it with such a wide smile on his face that Lilah squeals and returns his grin.

"Definitely one of the most _unique_ places we've chosen," Jade agrees, laughing. "Except it took so long to get the splinters out after that. God, we were so stupid."

"Babe, we hadn't seen each other in almost two weeks. I feel like the stupidity was justified," Beck says, dipping Lilah back into the water.

"Yeah, because it was super fun to still be finding slivers of wood in my hair while I was vomiting every morning for a month." Jade's morning sickness during the pregnancy had been enough to wake her up around six every day; it was especially miserable after filming nights—when she'd finish work at four in the morning and then be awake two hours later to puke. Lucky for her, they were close to finishing the movie when Jade had found out she was pregnant, and she was back to living with Beck full-time in LA by the end of the first trimester.

The couple plays with their daughter for a while more, and once they've had enough time in the water, the three of them head back up to the shore. Beck and his father decide to go snorkeling for a bit, while Daphne and Jade are content to watch Lilah play in the sand.

"Oh, Jade," Daphne says, turning towards her daughter-in-law, "I forgot to tell you who I ran into the other day. I was at the mall last week and I saw Tori. The twins have gotten so big!"

"They just turned two," Jade replies, smiling. "I swear, if anyone can manage twins for first-time parenting, it's Tori and Andre. I think I would have had a heart attack had there been two of Lilah—but they were ecstatic."

"Samuel is like a miniature Andre—completely identical."

"Oh, yeah," Jade agrees. "And Stella looks just like Tori. No denying those cheekbones."

"Precious family. We should have them for dinner again—it was wonderful the time we did."

"Oh, they'd love that," the younger woman replies as she helps Lilah fill a bucket with sand. Jade has always enjoyed her mother-in-law's company, even from the time she was a young teenager. Unlike Jade's biological mother, Daphne had expressed interest in her son's love from the moment she met her. She asks questions and offers advice; she cares about Beck, Jade, and Lilah in a genuine way that Jade could only understand after becoming a mother herself.

It's that instinctive love that prompts her to get up early several mornings later. Lilah's altered sleep schedule—thanks to longer days and the time change—has her awake around five, before the sun has even risen. Beck remains asleep in the bed, but Jade is up with the baby and a cup of coffee without waking him. She takes her one-year-old out to the porch and sits with her on the swing, relaxing in the peace of the quiet morning.

As Jade holds Lilah in her lap, memories from the last several years flood her brain. She remembers the miscarriage—and all its pain and tragedy and heartbreak—like it was yesterday. She remembers not wanting to try again, and fearing that she wouldn't love or want the potential new baby as much as she had the first. It was Beck who made all the difference in the world.

He painted fresh, gray walls in the room across the hall from the master. He withheld putting any kind of pressure on his wife to try for another baby. He did absolutely everything in his power to cheer up Jade not for the benefit of himself, but for the desire to just have her happy again. The night they'd found out about Lilah was one of the most joyful and terrifying nights of their lives.

They didn't tell a soul until Jade was four months pregnant, when the doctors had assured her of the extremely rare chance of a miscarriage. From that moment on, Jade felt—for the first time since the loss of her first unborn child—that it was okay to be happy.

She drops a kiss to her daughter's hair and sets her coffee down next to her so that she can wrap both hands around Lilah's body. She turns the baby so that they're facing each other, and Lilah immediately grins at the sight of her mother.

"Hi, baby girl," Jade says, smiling back at her. "I love you more than anything in the world, you know that? I love you so much." Lilah babbles back, and then leans her chest against Jade to snuggle. They sit there in silence for what seems like a long time. As Jade hugs Lilah closely to her body, there's a part of her that wishes the baby could stay this little and innocent for forever. On the contrary, she looks forward every day to seeing what new milestones Lilah might accomplish.

Beck comes out in time for the sunrise, after noticing his wife's absence from the bed. Without so much as a word that might ruin the moment, he smiles, kisses his wife, and wraps a loving arm around her. Jade leans her head on his shoulder, and they listen to Lilah's chatter for the ten minutes that the sky is intensely changing colors.

Finally, Jade looks up at him and kisses him again. "I don't know how on earth you convinced me that I could be a mom," she says, shaking her head. "But thank you. I love you—_almost_ as much as I love her."

A crooked smile appears on Beck's face. "I don't know how my ego feels about this second place thing."

"Well, she's half-you, so that counts for something," Jade reminds him. "But, really. I don't know what I would do without her."

Beck presses a sweet kiss to her forehead. "I know. I told you you'd be the best mom."

"Yeah, well," Jade says, her voice already mocking him, "you also _told_ me that your RV was soundproof, and that I was a good bartender, and that we would _not_ regret having sex in the sand on our honeymoon. So excuse me if I was a little skeptical."

Beck laughs. "But I was right about the mom thing." He turns his eyes down to Lilah, who's munching on Cheerios in Jade's lap. "And thank _you_," he says, kissing his wife's temple, "for making me a dad. You and Lilah make me so happy."

Jade smiles and allows herself to enjoy the moment. All her life, she never would have guessed that being a wife and mother would be what brought her the most joy in life. As she snuggles up to Beck, though, she reminds herself how lucky she is to have someone who helped her realize it.

Yes, they're certainly lucky.


End file.
